


Why Would You Say Sorry

by Lo Turner-Kane (doujinbag)



Category: Arctic Monkeys, Last Shadow Puppets
Genre: Comfort, Crying, Fluff, Kissing, Light Angst, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-10
Updated: 2015-03-10
Packaged: 2018-03-17 04:58:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3516173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doujinbag/pseuds/Lo%20Turner-Kane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Miles hasn't seen Alex in a while, but when Alex shows up on his doorstep after breaking up with Alexa, he's never been more relieved to see his best friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Why Would You Say Sorry

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Pengoop](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pengoop/gifts).



> I don't have an explanation for this other than  
> a) I was bored  
> b) I want it to be summer already  
> c) I needed some slight fluff for these two because I can't stop obsessing over them  
> I'm trash

It's a rather warm night, the sun still peeking just above the very edge of the horizon and the humid London air filling itself with slight smog. This summer hasn't been too bad, Miles thinks, but it could be better. Alex could be here.

It's been a little while since they last saw each other, what with Alex being rather occupied with the Monkeys and his girlfriend Alexa. Miles isn't jealous, not at all. He just misses having his best friend around all the time. There's nothing he wants more than to have Alex in his living room again, a pen in his hand and a guitar in his friend's lap as they work on a new Shadow Puppets song or simply just dick around with idiotic parodies made up off the top of their head. Alex is his best friend and yet, they haven't talked in months. Partially because Miles doesn't want to burden him, but mostly because he's too scared to.

He decides to turn in early tonight, shutting his curtains tightly so the eight-o-clock sun doesn't shine in his face. He pulls the blankets up over his face and settles into the mattress, quickly finding a comfortable position. He closes his eyes and just nearly falls asleep until-

_Knock knock knock knock knock._

"Wha-?" Miles sits up and groans, rubbing his eyes. The sunlight is still streaming through his window. Once again, there it is, five impatient raps coming from his front door. "Who the hell is knockin' at this hour..." he grumbles as he combs his fingers through his hair. He stands up and walks out to his living room, not bothering to check through the peephole before opening the door wide.

There, standing only a foot and a half away from him, is Alex. However, Alex doesn't look like his typical self; his eyes are red and his shoulders are tensed up, trails of tears dried on his cheeks. "Al?" Miles says, turning his head to cough a bit. "It's been months, what's- I mean, I've been wanting' t'see ye, but... uh... what're ye here for?"

Alex takes a deep breath before saying, "Alexa an' me broke up." He presses his lips together to try and keep them from quivering, but to no avail. "I jus', I didn't want t'be alone. An'... 'm sorry, if y'don't want me here, I understand."

"No. No, no, Al, c'mon. Come in, come in." Miles stands aside and holds the door open a bit wider for Alex to walk inside. "D'ye need t'talk about it? What 'appened, mate?"

Alex sits down on the right side of the loveseat- _his spot,_ Miles always declared it to be- and hugs his knees to his chest, sniffling. "She, um... she jus' said she go' tired of it. Still wants t'be friends, yeah, but I jus'... I dunno, Mi, I dunno. It- it _hurts."_

Miles frowns and sits next to Alex on the loveseat, patting his shoulder solemnly. "I'm really sorry t'hear that, Al," he says quietly. "You're free t'stay here as long as ye need to."

"Thank you." Alex looks at Miles and bursts into tears, leaving Miles to do nothing else than hug him close to his chest.

"Shh, shh, it's okay, it's okay," he soothes quietly. "Jus' let it all out, Al..." He feels Alex press his face into his shirt and he bites his lip, Alex just feeling so warm in his arms. He hates to say that he's missed this, because he doesn't want his friend to have to be in so much pain just to find solace in him again, but at the same time... he can't complain too much.

Selfish.

Alex stops crying soon enough and wipes his eyes with his fingers, shaking his head. "Sorry for gettin' yer shirt all wet..."

"It's fine," Miles assures him. "It's just a shirt."

It's not clear exactly when it happens, but after a little while, they're in Miles's room, Alex's head resting on Miles's chest as Miles combs his fingers through Alex's messy hair. It's merely a friendly gesture and nothing more, Miles reminds himself. Friends do this all the time. Besides, Alex needs comforting. This is completely normal for friends to be doing.

...Right?

"I think 'm gonna stay th'night," Alex mumbles, and Miles simply nods.

"Hold on a sec," he says, carefully wiggling out from under Alex and walking over to his window. He draws the curtains back completely, shaking out heavy amounts of dust from them while coughing, and shoves open the window. "There we go," he says. "Sorry. It's jus' really fuckin' hot in here."

Alex gives a weak smile and moves so he's lying on his side, facing the window as a small gust of summer wind blows through, making the curtains dance like velveteen ghosts in the dark. It's times like these they've _both_ missed, where the weather is just right and maybe they're talking, maybe they're not, but either way, the moment is indestructible because they're together and they're fine- maybe not _feeling_ fine, but they're fine with each other's presence- and it feels as if they can say or do anything without any kind of negative consequences. That's how best friends are supposed to be, right?

"Mi?" Alex whispers at last, their faces now merely inches apart as they lie on the bed, a light sheet covering them but the blanket still folded on the edge of the bed because it's too damn hot for them both to share. Miles, whose eyes have been closed for the past two seconds- minutes? hours? whatever- reopens his eyes, staring his best friend in the face. The moonlight is now pouring itself through the window like a drunk man spilling his brandy on everything he owns and in this light, Miles can see every feature in Alex's face. Every visible vein in his neck, the defined bones of his jawline, his collarbones laying themselves out just perfectly above the collar of his T-shirt, it's all in plain sight. Still, Miles feels the need to move slightly closer to take it all in even more.

"You okay?" Miles asks. Alex nods and closes his eyes now, his forehead resting against Miles's maybe on accident, maybe on purpose, but he doesn't pull back either way.

"'m fine now," he says. "D'ye want me t'leave?"

Miles shakes his head. "Now why in the world would I want ye t'leave, Al?"

"I dunno," Alex shrugs. "Jus' askin'."

"I'd prefer it if ye stayed, in all honesty," Miles admits. "I've missed ye a lot."

Alex is quiet for a while, his eyes opening and fixing themselves on his best friend's face for the longest time. "Then I'll stay," he says. "'cause I've missed ye, too."

Miles wraps his arms around Alex's waist and pulls him in close, burying his nose in his shoulder and inhaling deeply. He can smell cigarettes and chamomile tea and even Alexa's perfume still lingering on Alex's shirt, and his hands only grip onto Alex's back tighter. He doesn't want to let him go, not again.

"Miles..." Alex says, and Miles pulls his head back at that to get a good look at the other. "Please jus'..." He closes his eyes and presses the pads of his fingertips into Miles's back deeply before grazing their lips together lightly. Miles's heart freezes and he has to remind himself that Alex is merely confused, wrapped up in the breakup and the fact they haven't seen each other in ages, but he still can't help but to kiss Alex back. The kiss is about as gentle as a young child delicately picking daisy petals off the rest of the flower, but it's still a kiss nonetheless and Miles can't believe it, it's a dream come-

"'m so sorry."

-true.

Alex bites his lip lightly and shakes his head, pressing his forehead into Miles's chest now. "'m sorry, 'm sorry, 'm so fuckin' sorry for that, Mi. I dunno wha' came over me..."

"Why would ye say sorry?" Miles asks quietly, and his heart sinks at knowing he was right, Alex really didn't mean anything by the kiss other than _help me, I'm confused and hurt._

"I... I dunno." Alex wraps his arms around Miles's neck and kisses his chin softly. "'m pretty fucked up, Mi. I am, 'm a bloody lunatic."

"That's okay," Miles replies. "I am too."

Alex just smiles and lets Miles hold him until they both fall asleep, the humid breeze still blowing through the room. They can figure things out in the morning. Right now, it's warm and good and Alex is finally back with Miles, and Miles doesn't want a single thing to change.

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](http://spookymileskane.tumblr.com) / [instagram](http://instagr.am/and.a.smile)


End file.
